Delhi woke up to another bad morning to smog, with a thick haze looming over the capital. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at the “severe” level of 432, showing a marginal improvement from 452 recorded at 11 pm last night.
Visibility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport dropped to 500 metres by 6:30 am, from 800 metres an hour earlier. Due to this, 203 flights were delayed, as reported by Flight Trader. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), many areas in Delhi recorded AQI above 450. Areas like Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Najafgarh, Lajpat Nagar, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, Rohini, Vivek Vihar and Wazirpur recorded AQI above 450 in the “severe” category around 6 am.
Winter haze affects flights from Amritsar, Varanasi and Delhi
Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 473, followed by Patparganj at 472, Ashok Vihar at 471 and Jahangirpuri at 470. This morning, IndiGo issued a travel advisory on its official X handle, urging passengers to keep a check on their flight status. The airline warned that some flights may be delayed due to “winter haze”. “This morning, winter haze may affect flights from Amritsar, Varanasi and Delhi. Please monitor your flight status and anticipate extra travel time before heading to the airport, as road traffic may be slow due to low visibility. Thank you for your patience, and we wish you a happy journey,” the airline tweeted.
Delhi airport advised passengers that flight operations are normal due to visibility at the airport, but operations are taking place under low visibility conditions. “All flight operations are currently normal. Passengers are requested to contact their respective airlines for updated flight information,” the airport advisory said. Meanwhile, departures at Delhi’s IGI airport are being delayed by an average of 30 minutes due to the smog. Long-term exposure to “very poor” air quality can cause respiratory problems, while severe AQI levels can affect even healthy individuals and pose serious risks to those with existing health problems.
Demand to declare holiday in schools
Commenting on the air quality situation, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva criticised the Atishi government, saying, “We are standing on the road of duty, and the AQI here is 474. We cannot even see the India Gate. This is due to the incompetence of the AAP government, which is only focusing on event management and not on environmental planning.” He further said, “PM 2.5 is the main cause of pollution, especially due to dust on damaged roads and the 3,100 tonnes of latent CNG waste noted by the Supreme Court.” Sachdeva blamed stubble burning and high PM 2.5 levels in Punjab for the pollution and demanded a holiday for schools and advised people to avoid morning walks.
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